


Camelot's School for Kights and Scholars

by CharmsDealer



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: AU, Boarding School, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-17
Updated: 2014-03-17
Packaged: 2018-01-16 03:09:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1329628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharmsDealer/pseuds/CharmsDealer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin is having trouble with his homework. Arthur's a prat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Camelot's School for Kights and Scholars

**Author's Note:**

> This is old but I wanted to have it on the archive. Thinking about doing a sort of Sabriel crossover by having a wall between the old and the new kingdom. Having Arthur and Merlin be mixed up children of both in a semi-magic boarding school could be interesting.

"...Are you _still_ working on your  _prep_?"

Merlin dropped his fountain pen onto his notebook and ink splattered across the page.

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere. If only I’d known you were skulking around the West Tower. I wouldn’t have bothered to search the other three.”

Arthur strode into the small study and left the door open. “It’s terribly dusty up here,” he remarked, wrinkling his nose.

Merlin held his tongue. The reason he liked to use this particular study was that it was largely forgotten about. In the daytime, slivers of light from the slit-like windows provided enough light to read by and at night Merlin set up a small ring of candle stubs around his desk. The tiny flickering lights made him feel warm and secure. He doubted Arthur would care to know that though.

Arthur walked around, prodding at things. “…Are you using _candles_? How positively me _die_ val.”

It had been a long day with little thanks. Arthur was safe, and Merlin supposed that was all that mattered really, but on top of his Arthur-minding duties he had to remain on top of his schoolwork, which he was currently falling behind in.

"Please Arthur, not today," Merlin said. The sound of his voice was plaintive to his own ears. He felt diminished, merely by Arthur’s presence. The slightly older boy’s entitled nature sought to possess everything around him, which included the air.

Arthur settled over Merlin’s shoulder. "You know, you should really have considered doing those earlier,” he said, gesturing to the books and papers Merlin had piled around him. “I hope you haven’t forgotten that it’s your job to scrape the mud off of my rugby boots. I have training tomorrow at seven.”

Merlin pursed his lips, trying to keep his voice even. "I have been running around after you all this week and there simply hasn't been time for me to do anything else! If you don't mind,  _Sire_ , I would like to get on with this."

“No need for that now, _Mer_ lin,” Arthur clucked, and Merlin hated the way Arthur said his name, drawing out the first syllable. "You've been up here for nearly three hours. I knew you were an idiot, but I had no idea that you were this far behind."

“I’ve done almost all of my regular work. I just needed a bit of help, so I’m doing these extra problems for Gaius…”

Arthur picked up one of Merlin’s books and waved the text in front of Merlin’s nose. "I know we can't all be as academically ex _ceptional_ as I am, but you'd have to be really stupid to be taking remedial lessons from Gaius. _Science is not that hard Merlin."_

Merlin panicked and tried to grab the book, but Arthur dangled it just out of his reach. The book Arthur was holding was most certainly _not_ about science.

"Arthur, would you _please_ stop tormenting me?"

"Where would be the fun in that?” Arthur said, somewhat cruelly. He smacked Merlin on the head with the book before he tossed it back on the desk without looking at it.

 _You self-entitled_ arse,Merlin thought, picking up his pen and turning back to his math. If there was one thing he knew Arthur disliked, it was being ignored.

Arthur braced a hand on the side of the desk and leaned over Merlin. His breath was hot against Merlin’s neck. "42."

"What?"

"The answer is 42,” Arthur said, rolling his eyes. “Move over."

"What are you doing?"

"Helping you."

Merlin was pushed out of the chair. He hovered beside the desk and watched as Arthur bent over the page Merlin was struggling over and proceeded to work out the answers with military precision. He made succeeding at everything look so easy.

Arthur _was_ smart. He worked down the page with relative ease, writing the answers down in his large, loopy script. Arthur’s hand could produce magnificent calligraphic letters while Merlin’s words looked like sick ants, stumbling across the page after a night out on the town.

"Why are you doing this?" Merlin asked softly.

Arthur frowned. "Because your time belongs to  _me_."

Merlin felt an odd sort of squeeze in his chest, sort of like he was running out of air, but it wasn’t quite the claustrophobic feeling he was so used to having around Arthur. He thought Arthur rather spoiled the moment when he said imperiously, “Run along now, Merlin…I left my boots on your pillow.”


End file.
